Today's Adventures
Dec. 26th, 2025 09:26 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
ysabetwordsmithToday we went to the walk-through display Lights on the Prairie. It was awesome. :D
1/2 mile of Christmas lights walking through pine tree paths and a beautiful view across the pond.
Games, hot chocolate, and light snacks are available in the pavilion afterwards.
GPS address: Prairie Land Gymnastics and Tumbling
Friday and Saturday nights 5-8 PM, November 28-January 3
2151 CR 1300 E, Lovington, IL, United States, Illinois
(217) 508-3199
Free event, but donations are appreciated to support the project.
We went through Mattoon to run errands.
Signs pointing to Lights on the Prairie from nearby roads were big and clear. Inside, it was a little less clear where to go for what -- there were smaller signs but we didn't see them until the hostess pointed them out. She helpfully directed us to the trailhead. I took pictures. Some of them turned out, so I hope to post those later.
There was a donation box on the way in, and another at the pavilion on the way out. I dropped money in both. At the beginning, I had to guess; by the end I decided it was worth more so I hit the second box too.
This was a walking display along a wide path under evergreens, which was smooth-ish in most places and covered with pine needles. All the other displays in our locale are drive-throughs, which I do enjoy, but this beats them all hands down. I would go back just for the smell of the pines and the soft sound of the wind in the branches. There were trees of multiple species including pines, spruces, and possibly arborvitae with flat fanlike needles. It's such a beautiful place, even before the lights. Tonight the weather was quite mild and pleasant to walk in. I'm sure the display is prettier in the snow -- you can see some photos on the Facebook page with snow -- but I don't regret getting to visit during clement weather.
Most of the way, the path was clear and lit by ropes of lights on both sides. In several places, there were cross-cuts for anyone wanting a shorter walk. There were also multiple benches in case you need a break or just want to do some winter forestbathing for a while. Toward the end, the path broke out into a larger open area, which we found a bit confusing after the explicit guidance, but we figured it out. The pond was down that way and the lights reflected in the water, very pretty.
In addition to the strings or ropes of lights lining the trail, there were various other decorations. I saw several arches, some lit-up deer and other critters, a couple of different creche-type scenes, and some bigger ornaments in the trees such as stars. The most spectacular was a creative re-use of wall-crawlers. You know the little lightboxes that throw images or sparkles on a wall or garage door? They aimed these up into the trees. Imagine a zillion tiny, red-and-green sparks crawling through the branches like holiday fairies, or those science fiction scenes with bioluminescent wilderness or energy crawling through trees. It's one of the most magical displays I have seen, and I'm going to hunt for a wall-crawler (likely to be on sale now) in hopes of duplicating it myself. I think most of them were red-and-green laserdot projectors, but there were a few other styles and I saw snowflakes on the house wall.
The end of the path let out at the pavilion, which was also decorated. Amusingly they had several tractors and trucks covered in holiday lights. At the back was a big heater, several firepits with seating around them, and then the indoor space. One of the firepits had glass rocks, the first I'd seen in person -- very pretty -- and the others looked like the more common lava rock.
Indoors was a small space set up with a table of cookies, cupcakes, and punch along with a hot chocolate bar on the back counter. That's another thing I had seen in pictures but never in person before. It had big cute holiday mugs, hot water and cocoa mix, and toppings like marshmallows or ... gingerbread? peppermint? I honestly didn't look any farther than the mini-marshmallows. I got the hot chocolate and a macadamia nut-white chocolate cookie. My partner Doug got the same plus a cupcake. They also had chocolate-peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip, and I think a couple others -- very nice snack spread. Later on they announced nachos with hot cheese as another option. And popcorn, there were several popper machines in the back. The air smelled delicious.
The whole place was decorated, very pretty. The tables and chairs were a tight squeeze to get around and sit down, but we managed. A couple of smaller tables near the door were set up with games and toys. I tried my hand at a hook-and-ring game. Imagine a T of wood standing upright from a base, with two hooks on the vertical post, and two rings suspended on strings from the ends of the crossbar. You're supposed to toss the ring on the hook. It's harder than it looks, and I never did get it, but it was amusing to try.
We spent a while chatting with the hostess about the display, which was a lot of fun. I suggested that a map might be helpful, which went over well. Aside from the host family, there were several other folks indoors. They seemed to know each other, but we hadn't met any of them before. I honestly got more holiday joy hanging out in a room with a handful of happy strangers, than I have listening to my actual relatives bicker on past occasions. Sometimes, holiday spirit isn't about specific people, but about a mood. So if you don't have a lot of folks to spend time with on the holidays, consider looking for a small event where you can get out of the car and mingle with other folks. That's what I was hoping for with this one, in addition to the forest walk and pretty lights, and I really enjoyed it.
Lights on the Prairie is a destination-caliber holiday activity. It really is a winter wonderland, ideal for fans of light displays or other holiday events. We already plan to go back next year. Most highly recommended! If you're within day-trip distance, it's definitely worth a visit. If you are driving through central Illinois, it would make a great leg-stretching stop. If you're looking for a weekend holiday trip, it's right near two small towns with a lot of interesting little places to shop: Arthur (in Amish territory) and Arcola. A bit farther north is the small city of Champaign-Urbana, central Illinois' mini-metroplex, which has a whole bunch more stuff to do. And if you're exploring central Illinois, get the current copy of A Day Away (available in hardcopy or PDF) from the folks at Effingham Daily News. It comes out twice a year, Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer, free online or at various local places that have a stack for people to take. It's full of information about events and attractions all over the middle counties.
After we finished the light display, we went out for supper. Our original plan was to hit Pauly's for barbecue, but they were closed. We wound up at La Cascada Mexican Grill. Doug got an enchilada platter and I got a taco el pastor, both quite good.
It has been a fun and wonderful night out.
1/2 mile of Christmas lights walking through pine tree paths and a beautiful view across the pond.
Games, hot chocolate, and light snacks are available in the pavilion afterwards.
GPS address: Prairie Land Gymnastics and Tumbling
Friday and Saturday nights 5-8 PM, November 28-January 3
2151 CR 1300 E, Lovington, IL, United States, Illinois
(217) 508-3199
Free event, but donations are appreciated to support the project.
We went through Mattoon to run errands.
Signs pointing to Lights on the Prairie from nearby roads were big and clear. Inside, it was a little less clear where to go for what -- there were smaller signs but we didn't see them until the hostess pointed them out. She helpfully directed us to the trailhead. I took pictures. Some of them turned out, so I hope to post those later.
There was a donation box on the way in, and another at the pavilion on the way out. I dropped money in both. At the beginning, I had to guess; by the end I decided it was worth more so I hit the second box too.
This was a walking display along a wide path under evergreens, which was smooth-ish in most places and covered with pine needles. All the other displays in our locale are drive-throughs, which I do enjoy, but this beats them all hands down. I would go back just for the smell of the pines and the soft sound of the wind in the branches. There were trees of multiple species including pines, spruces, and possibly arborvitae with flat fanlike needles. It's such a beautiful place, even before the lights. Tonight the weather was quite mild and pleasant to walk in. I'm sure the display is prettier in the snow -- you can see some photos on the Facebook page with snow -- but I don't regret getting to visit during clement weather.
Most of the way, the path was clear and lit by ropes of lights on both sides. In several places, there were cross-cuts for anyone wanting a shorter walk. There were also multiple benches in case you need a break or just want to do some winter forestbathing for a while. Toward the end, the path broke out into a larger open area, which we found a bit confusing after the explicit guidance, but we figured it out. The pond was down that way and the lights reflected in the water, very pretty.
In addition to the strings or ropes of lights lining the trail, there were various other decorations. I saw several arches, some lit-up deer and other critters, a couple of different creche-type scenes, and some bigger ornaments in the trees such as stars. The most spectacular was a creative re-use of wall-crawlers. You know the little lightboxes that throw images or sparkles on a wall or garage door? They aimed these up into the trees. Imagine a zillion tiny, red-and-green sparks crawling through the branches like holiday fairies, or those science fiction scenes with bioluminescent wilderness or energy crawling through trees. It's one of the most magical displays I have seen, and I'm going to hunt for a wall-crawler (likely to be on sale now) in hopes of duplicating it myself. I think most of them were red-and-green laserdot projectors, but there were a few other styles and I saw snowflakes on the house wall.
The end of the path let out at the pavilion, which was also decorated. Amusingly they had several tractors and trucks covered in holiday lights. At the back was a big heater, several firepits with seating around them, and then the indoor space. One of the firepits had glass rocks, the first I'd seen in person -- very pretty -- and the others looked like the more common lava rock.
Indoors was a small space set up with a table of cookies, cupcakes, and punch along with a hot chocolate bar on the back counter. That's another thing I had seen in pictures but never in person before. It had big cute holiday mugs, hot water and cocoa mix, and toppings like marshmallows or ... gingerbread? peppermint? I honestly didn't look any farther than the mini-marshmallows. I got the hot chocolate and a macadamia nut-white chocolate cookie. My partner Doug got the same plus a cupcake. They also had chocolate-peanut butter cookies, chocolate chip, and I think a couple others -- very nice snack spread. Later on they announced nachos with hot cheese as another option. And popcorn, there were several popper machines in the back. The air smelled delicious.
The whole place was decorated, very pretty. The tables and chairs were a tight squeeze to get around and sit down, but we managed. A couple of smaller tables near the door were set up with games and toys. I tried my hand at a hook-and-ring game. Imagine a T of wood standing upright from a base, with two hooks on the vertical post, and two rings suspended on strings from the ends of the crossbar. You're supposed to toss the ring on the hook. It's harder than it looks, and I never did get it, but it was amusing to try.
We spent a while chatting with the hostess about the display, which was a lot of fun. I suggested that a map might be helpful, which went over well. Aside from the host family, there were several other folks indoors. They seemed to know each other, but we hadn't met any of them before. I honestly got more holiday joy hanging out in a room with a handful of happy strangers, than I have listening to my actual relatives bicker on past occasions. Sometimes, holiday spirit isn't about specific people, but about a mood. So if you don't have a lot of folks to spend time with on the holidays, consider looking for a small event where you can get out of the car and mingle with other folks. That's what I was hoping for with this one, in addition to the forest walk and pretty lights, and I really enjoyed it.
Lights on the Prairie is a destination-caliber holiday activity. It really is a winter wonderland, ideal for fans of light displays or other holiday events. We already plan to go back next year. Most highly recommended! If you're within day-trip distance, it's definitely worth a visit. If you are driving through central Illinois, it would make a great leg-stretching stop. If you're looking for a weekend holiday trip, it's right near two small towns with a lot of interesting little places to shop: Arthur (in Amish territory) and Arcola. A bit farther north is the small city of Champaign-Urbana, central Illinois' mini-metroplex, which has a whole bunch more stuff to do. And if you're exploring central Illinois, get the current copy of A Day Away (available in hardcopy or PDF) from the folks at Effingham Daily News. It comes out twice a year, Fall/Winter and Spring/Summer, free online or at various local places that have a stack for people to take. It's full of information about events and attractions all over the middle counties.
After we finished the light display, we went out for supper. Our original plan was to hit Pauly's for barbecue, but they were closed. We wound up at La Cascada Mexican Grill. Doug got an enchilada platter and I got a taco el pastor, both quite good.
It has been a fun and wonderful night out.
